The SITGES - International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia is a specialized, competitive fantastic genre Festival in accordance with the regulations established by the FIAPF (International Federation of Film Producers Associations). The Festival has also been declared a “Qualified Festival” by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences® in the United States. This means that those shorts winning the awards for “Best Short Film” in the Official Fantàstic Selection and “Best Short Film” in the Anima’t category will automatically be taken into consideration by the Hollywood Academy Awards® selection committee.

Prizes and qualifications

See festival's Rules and regulations.

Rules

TERMS & CONDITIONS FOR SUBMITTING FILMS TO THE 53 RD SITGES INTERNATIONAL FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL OF CATALONIA.

a) To submit a film to the Festival and simplify its viewing for the Program Committee, please follow these instructions:

Submit the short or feature length film via the festhome.com platform.

FEATURE LENGTH FILMS can be submitted to: Feature and Medium Length Films; Brigadoon (Feature Films). They can be submitted in one of these two categories only.

SHORT FILMS can be submitted to: Live Action Short Film; Animated Short Films; Brigadoon (Short Films). They can be submitted in one of these three categories only. Please be sure to carefully read the notes to keep in mind for submitting short films to the Festival at the end of this document.

TEASERS/TRAILERS must be submitted to Sitges Coming Soon category. The maximum runtime of the works submitted must be 10’.

SERIES must be submitted in Serial Sitges. Only the first episode will be accepted, with a maximum runtime of 90’.

VIRTUAL REALITY–360º FILM works must be submitted to Sitges Cocoon. Please be sure to carefully read the notes to keep in mind for submitting VIRTUAL REALITY–360º FILM works to the Festival at the end of this document.

The submission of works in progress will be accepted. This production status must be pointed out when submitted to Festhome, checking the appropriate box or indicating it in parenthesis following the title.

DVD / Blu-Ray are not accepted. Likewise, viewing links received outside the festhome.com platform will not be taken into consideration.

b) The Festival will charge a submission fee for viewing. This fee does not include any submission taxes that Festhome might apply.

FEATURE LENGTH FILMS: 60 Euros

SHORT FILMS: 30 Euros

TEASERS/TRAILERS: 30 Euros

SERIES: 60 Euros

VR – 360º FILM: 45 Euros

Payment will be made at the time the submission is done via the festhome.com platform. c) The submission deadline for all categories is 15th July 2020.

d) In the event that it is selected, the Program Committee will designate the section to include each piece.

e) The Festival will contact the selected films, which will receive an additional entry form to be able to formalize participation in the Festival. This first communication may take place up until the beginning of September (lineup deadline).

f) Festhome will send an automated notification on 7 September 2020 to all those works which haven’t been selected by the Festival’s Program Committee and which have completed their registration via the official platform.

Notes to keep in mind for submitting SHORT FILMS to the Festival:

The Program Committee will only take into consideration short films satisfying the following conditions:

All short films must be fantastic genre with a 2019/2020 production date.

The maximum runtime accepted for short films, in all sections, is 30 minutes.

The short films may be included in the following sections:

Official Fantàstic Section

Shorts previously unreleased in Spain. The winning short in this section will automatically be taken into consideration by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood for the Oscar® Awards.

Anima’t Section The winning short in this section will automatically be taken into consideration by the Hollywood Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the Oscar® Awards.

Nova Autoria Section Short films made by Catalan film school students. The SGAE’s headquarters in Catalonia will centralize the reception of all the works, through a preselection made by the schools. This will be the only submission channel (they will not be submitted via the www.festhome.com platform).

Brigadoon Section A selection of short films independently produced and thematically oriented in horror and fantasy. The selected works will be included among premieres, retrospectives, tributes, and/or cult movies. It is not necessary for them to be unreleased in Spain. However, works that have been published on the Internet will not be taken into consideration. Notes to keep in mind for submitting VIRTUAL REALITY – 360º FILM works to the Festival:

The Virtual Reality – 360º FILM works must be submitted in this section like in any other Festival section. Once the submission has been made, Festhome will automatically request the screening file in order to complete the submission. This file must be uploaded to the platform for it to be downloaded, and viewed by the Festival’s Selection Committee with Samsung Virtual Reality – 360ºFilm Gear Vr devices. The works must comply with the following technical requirements:

We ask you to please read the Festival’s complete rules and regulations (see below).

All works that have finally not been selected will receive an official communication with the Selection Committee’s decision.

The Festival is acknowledged by the FIAPF (The International Federation of Film Producers Associations).

RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE 53RD SITGES – INTERNATIONAL FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL OF CATALONIA.

I) THE FESTIVAL

The Sitges - International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia is a competitive festival, specializing in fantastic genre, festival in accordance with the regulations established by the FIAPF. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood has also declared the Festival to be a “Qualified Festival” for the Oscar® Awards. This means that those shorts winning the awards for «Best Short Film» in the Official Fantàstic Selection and «Best Short Film» in the Anima’t section will automatically be taken into consideration by the Selection Committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood for the Oscar® Awards.

2. 1. Official Fantàstic In-Competition Section Feature length films of all nationalities, previously unreleased in Spain, produced in 2019/2020 and fantasy-themed, interpreting this concept in a broad sense, while bearing in mind at all times that quality and the creation of tendencies are a priority objective.

An international jury, chosen by the Festival’s Direction team, will present the following awards: Best Feature Length Film Best Director Best Actor Best Actress Best Screenplay Best Special Effects Best Photography Best Music Special Jury Prize Best Fantastic Genre Short Film (this short will automatically be taken into consideration by the Selection Committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood for the Oscar® Awards).

If considered convenient, the jury will reserve the possibility of awarding up to a maximum of three special mentions.

The audience will vote to decide on the Grand Audience Award for best fantastic genre feature film.

The José Luis Guarner Critics’Award will be presented by the Associació Catalana de Crítics i Escriptors Cinematogràfics (Catalan Association of Film Critics and Writers) to the best feature film included in the Official Fantastic In Competition Section. This association will also present the Citizen Kane Award for Best New Director, for which all filmmakers presenting their debut film at the Festival, in its Official Fantàstic Section are eligible.

In addition, the Carnet Jove jury, made up of young men and women between the ages of 18 and 30, will present the Carnet Jove Award for best fantasy genre feature film.

This section contains a subsection for films programed in the official Out-of-Competition Section.

The section also includes a subsection for short films produced in 2019/2020, with a maximum runtime of 30 minutes and previously unreleased in Spain, and which are eligible for the award for best Official Fantàstic In Competition Short Film.

2.2. Special Screenings Films programmed as a tribute, for their suitability or other justified reasons, which don’t necessarily have to be a premiere in Spain.

2.3. Òrbita Section Feature length films of all nationalities, previously unreleased in Spain, produced in 2019/2020 and belonging to genres closely related to the fantastic genre, like thrillers, action movies, adventure or black comedy.

An international jury will present the award for best feature film.

The Festival reserves the right to program, in exceptional circumstances, films previously screened at another Spanish film festival out of official competition. 2.4. Noves Visions Section Fantasy-themed films of all nationalities, previously unreleased in Spain and produced in 2019/2020, with a commitment to experimentation, new languages and formats and generic hybridization.

An international jury will present awards for best feature film, best Director and up to three special mentions. These awards will be cross-sectional within this section. The award for best Noves Visions Petit Format short will also be presented.

On an exceptional basis, the Festival reserves the right to program films previously screened out of official competition at another Spanish film festival. This section contains a subsection for short films by Catalan film school students, grouped together under the name Nova Autoria. The selected shorts (based on a pre-selection performed by the participating schools), in collaboration with the SGAE, compete for the following awards: best screenplay, best director and best music.

2.5. Panorama Fantàstic Section Fantasy and Horror-themed films of all nationalities, previously unreleased in Spain, produced in 2019/2020 and with an independent inclination.

On an exceptional basis, the Festival reserves the right to program films previously screened out of official competition at another Spanish film festival.

By popular vote, the audience will present an award to the best fiction feature film in this section.

On an exceptional basis, the Festival reserves the right to program films previously screened out of official competition at another Spanish film festival. Anima’t includes a subsection for short films produced in 2019/2020 with a maximum runtime of 30 minutes. The selected shorts must also be previously unreleased in Catalonia.

The Selection Committee reserves the possibility of selecting advertising, promo or music video works that it considers to have sufficient artistic and cinematic value as short films, as long as they are thematically related to the Festival’s area of specialization.

The Carnet Jove Jury will present the following awards: Award for Best animated short film (this short will automatically be taken into consideration by the Selection Committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood for the Oscar® Awards) and the Award for Best animated feature length film.

2.7. Seven Chances Section A section programmed in collaboration with the Asociación Catalana de la Crítica y la Escritura Cinematográficas (The Catalan Association of Critics and Film Writers). It consists of seven screenings focusing on fantastic films in its widest sense, as well as the other genres related to the Festival (thriller, spaghetti western, wu xia, etc.).

The section revolves around non-contemporary films (preferably that are a minimum of fifteen years old) and whose singularity causes them to deviate from the official model of the history of genre. This way, the intention is to vindicate films that should be discovered or reviewed, and which will be screened in their original format, or a restored copy. The educational desire of Seven Chances also results in some of the screenings being currently produced documentaries about an outstanding figure or style of genre cinema.

The films selected for Seven Chances must be premieres in Catalonia (and preferably in Spain); at least the screened version/copy.

2.8. Midnight X-treme Section A selection of the best independent horror movies. By popular vote, the audience will present an award to the best fiction feature film in this section.This competition is limited to films produced in 2019/2020, previously unreleased in Spain.

2.9. Brigadoon Section A selection of independently produced horror and fantasy themed feature length films, documentaries and short films, made in 2019/2020. The selected works will be included in premieres, retrospectives, tributes and/or cult movies. It is not necessary for them to be previously unreleased in Spain. However, works that have been published on Internet will not be taken into consideration. A jury will present the Paul Naschy Brigadoon Award for the best fantastic genre short film.

2.11. Serial Sitges Section A selection of genre TV series, TV movies, web series and other similar formats.

2.12. Sitges Coming Soon Section A selection of upcoming Catalan, Spanish and Latin American productions. All proposals must be accompanied by a teaser or trailer. 2.13. Sitges Cocoon Section Works produced in 2019/2020, shot and shown in Virtual Reality – 360º Film format. The Selection Committee will choose the works to be programmed in the in competition and out-of-competition subsections. The in competition films may not have participated previously in any film competition in Spain. A jury will present the award for the best Sitges Cocoon film.

All titles on competition must be 360º films. If “Room-scale” experiences are presented, could be accepted but out-of-competition.

All titles on competition must be 360º films. If “Room-scale“ experiences are presented, could be accepted cut-of-competition only.

2.13. Sitges Documenta Selection of non-fiction feature film productions, made in 2019/2020, that are thematically related to the Festival’s specialization. An international jury will present the award for the best documentary.

III) CROSS-SECTIONAL AWARDS & LABELS

3.1. Focus Asia Award All films produced by Asian production companies included in any of the Festival’s sections, as long as their subject matter falls within the context of the popular genres (thriller, action, fantastic), are eligible for this award.

All films must be previously unreleased in Spain. The Festival’s Selection Committee reserves the right to assess these criteria.

3.2 Méliès de Argent Awards Awards presented to the best European fantastic genre feature film and short film included in any of the Festival’s sections and according to the Selection Committee’s nomination the winning featura longth and short films will be elegible for the Méliès d’Or Award, organized by the EFFFF (European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation).

3.3. Blood Window Award All films of Latin American production included in any of the Festival’s sections, as long as their subject matter falls within the context of the fantastic genre, are eligible for this award. The Festival’s Selection Committee reserves the right to assess these criteria.

3.4. Sitges Family Label Encompasses all films included in the Festival for children and young people, intended to be seen with family.

3.5. Catalan Focus Label Encompasses all Catalan productions included in the Festival.

IV) PROCEDURE FOR OFFICIAL PARTICIPATION IN THE EVENT OF SELECTION

4.1. The production company or distributor of the selected films will receive the entry form and a proposal from the senior staff regarding section, day and time of screening for their approval.

The production company or distributor will then commit to filling in and sending the entry form back to the Festival at least 40 days before the start of the Festival.

In the event that the Festival has to share the print with other festivals, it must be specified on the entry form, indicating the print’s availability during the dates of the Sitges - International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia.

4.2. The company loaning the film must provide the Festival with high quality advertising material: stills, posters, press-books, trailers, etc., so the Festival can promote the film adequately. The Festival reserves the right to not return this material.

4.3. In the event that it is necessary to subtitle the film, the company lending it must also provide the appropriate material: download link, DVD or Blu-ray and dialogue and/or subtitle list. The Festival will not return this material, which will be destroyed once the Festival is over.

If the film has distribution in Spain, the distribution company must provide the Festival with a screening print in its Original Version with subtitles.

HD quality digital file (.mov) Works included in the Sitges Cocoon section:

mp4 digital file 4.5. The Festival will cover the shipping costs generated by the shipping of prints to be screened, except in the event that the print needs to be sent to another film festival. In this case, the other Festival will pay for shipping costs from our address to theirs. The Festival will not cover the costs of shipping or returning trailers or teasers. The Festival will not cover possible digital shipment costs.

4.6. The Festival agrees to return the print as soon as possible, up to 20 days after the end of the Festival.

4.7. In the event that the print winds up getting damaged as a consequence of its screening at the Festival, the owner must inform the Festival within one month’s time, starting from the date the print was returned.

The Festival’s responsibility will not exceed the cost specified on the entry form by the company lending the film.

4.8. The Festival organization will decide each film’s screening dates and times. No film included in any of the Festival’s sections will be screened more than 5 times, including the press screening, without the owner’s previous consent.

4.9. As regards the recording of film clips for use on television programs, the Festival will comply with the rules established in the FIAPF regulations for specialized competitive festivals.

4.11. Participation in the Festival implies acceptance of the Rules & Regulations herein.

4.12. Any matter or dispute arising during the Festival that is not covered by these Rules & Regulations will be resolved by the Festival organization in accordance with international rules.

Brigadoon (Feature films)

Short and Feature Films >31' (2019+)

60€

Submissions deadline
15 Jul 20

Submit

A selection of independently produced horror and fantasy themed feature length films, documentaries and short films. The selected works will be included in premieres, retrospectives, tributes and/or cult movies.

Feature and Medium-Length Films

Short and Feature Films >31' (2019+)

60€

Submissions deadline
15 Jul 20

Submit

Brigadoon (Short films)

Short Films 30'< (2019+)

30€

Submissions deadline
15 Jul 20

Submit

Independent short film productions. No need of Spanish premiere but short films uploaded in Internet should not be considered.

A jury will present the Paul Naschy Brigadoon Award for the best fantastic amateur short film.

Animation Short Film

Short Films 30'< (2019+)

30€

Submissions deadline
15 Jul 20

Submit

Live Action short films

Short Films 30'< (2019+)

30€

Submissions deadline
15 Jul 20

Submit

Shorts previously unreleased in Spain. No animation.

Serial Sitges

Short and Feature Films 90'< (2019+)

60€

Submissions deadline
15 Jul 20

Submit

A selection of genre TV series, TV movies, web series and other similar formats. The first episode, with a maximum runtime of 90’, must be submitted in the corresponding section on the Festhome platform.

Sitges Coming Soon

Short Films 10'< (2019+)

30€

Submissions deadline
15 Jul 20

Submit

A selection of upcoming Catalan, Spanish and Latin American productions. An audiovisual piece (like a teaser or trailer), with a maximum runtime of 10’, must be submitted in the corresponding section on the Festhome platform.

Sitges Cocoon (VR)

Short Films (2019+)

45€

Submissions deadline
15 Jul 20

Submit

Notes to keep in mind for submitting VIRTUAL REALITY – 360º FILM pieces to the Festival:

The Virtual Reality – 360º FILM pieces must be submitted in this section like in any other Festival section. Once the submission has been made, Festhome will automatically request the screening file in order to complete the submission. This file must be uploaded to the platform for it to be downloaded, and viewed by the Festival’s Selection Committee with Samsung Virtual Reality – 360ºFilm Gear Vr devices.